Friday, November 29, 2019

Black Plants, for Black Friday

This seems like such a natural for me, I can't believe I've never done it. Here we are, Black Friday...that day we pay tribute to the great American tradition of shopping. Or not. Oh I've not always been anti-Black Friday. No, there were many years my mom and brother Darin and I would head out shopping. But it was different then. No stores were open on Thanksgiving. Nobody was in line at 5am for the "door-busters." It was just a fun tradition and a way of celebrating the season and being together. These days the only kind of store I will set foot in on Black Friday is a nursery.

So, to mark the day I thought it would be fun to see what black plants I'm currently growing. Of course a lot of dark foliage isn't truly black, this Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum 'Hindwarf' for example.

There are some dark stripes on this Cordyline banksii 'Electric Flash', but not really black.

Hmm, yep, I think a few of those Leucothoe fontanesiana 'Rainbow' leaves look dark enough to be considered black.

Ditto for a few of these Astelia 'Red Devil' leaves.

Yucca desmetiana 'Blue Boy' comes close, but really dark purple is about it.

I know Cornus sanguinea 'Compressa' will have some super dark tones, if those leaves are allowed to age just right.

Rhododendron 'Ebony Pearl' can also get pretty close to black, in the right sunlight.

Like this...

There's definitely black on Begonia 'Little Brother Montgomery', which yes, is in the ground and has been for a couple winters. It took it's sweet time to pop back and produce a leaf this year, I just noticed it a couple weeks ago.

Cordyline 'Renegade' is pretty darn dark. It's an annual though, unless we have a super mild winter.

Albizia julibrissin 'Summer Chocolate' leaves are definitely black, especially against a cloudy sky.

Ajuga reptans 'Black Scallop'...(how can you argue when black is in the name?)

The blackest of the black though? In my garden it's got to be the black mondo grass...

Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'

Although who would argue that Daphne x houtteana isn't black?

Not I...

Let's take a look inside, and see what's on the dark side; Cryptanthus 'Black Mystic' certainly counts.

Zingiber malaysianum 'Midnight' is even darker when I remember to dust the leaves.

This bromeliad with no name is pretty dark...

And this Cryptanthus 'Black Mystic' is even darker than the other one I shared.

Vriesea splendens

Billbergia 'Hallelujah'

There are quite a few dark stripes on this Vriesea fosteriana.

The Racinaea crispa has stayed pretty dark since coming inside for the cool months.

And there's no denying the splotches on this NOID Bromeliad are black.

*sigh*...so beautiful. Cryptanthus lacerdae 'Menescal' is so so dark, I'd call those stripes black—no problem.

Finally this sad little aeonium, definitely black. What about you? embracing the shopping madness today? Or staying at home with your (black?) plants?

Weather Diary, Nov 28: Hi 44, Low 37/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Thursday, November 28, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here we are again, Thanksgiving in the United States. How did this one come around so fast? Well, it feels fast to me. What are you doing to celebrate? Big family feast? Small dinner with a friend? What ever you're up to I hope your day is a good one.

If you're here it must mean we have a shared love of plants, and that's certainly something to be thankful for—whether your garden is a small pot in a window, acres of old growth, or a memory in your head. This old black and white photo was tucked in my last birthday gift from Andrew. Look at her plant collection!

On the back of the photo is this...

Weather Diary, Nov 27: Hi 47, Low 37/ Precip 0

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Wednesday Vignette, my bamboo poly tunnel

For the last few weeks Andrew has been busy splitting bamboo, bending it, and lashing it together to make make custom domes I can use to cover (along with frost cloth and plastic) some of my tender plants when arctic weather threatens. He says he was tired of watching me improvise with buckets and pots and whatever else I could find at the last minute. While I certainly appreciate these efforts what he created last weekend took it to another level. I now have a bamboo framework for a custom poly tunnel...

Can you even?

All these little guys are going to be kept dry this winter! Well, as soon as I put plastic over the bamboo...

I'll share photos of that later, right now I just wanted to show the framework. Isn't it fabulous? There are four pieces of rebar that keep it bent in this tunnel shape, you can see two of them in this photo...

Frost cloth under the plastic will also help keep the temperatures up when need be...oh this is gonna be fabulous!

Weather Diary, Nov 26: Hi 44, Low 41/ Precip .09"

Wednesday Vignettes are hosted by Anna at Flutter & Hum. All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Susan Denman's garden, a stop during the 2019 Portland Study Weekend, last June

This garden was right next door to the one we saw yesterday.

"The Denman garden is an acre-sized, charming country garden surrounding an 1897 farmhouse in the Portland West Hills. The many defined garden spaces include an herb garden, a walled vegetable garden, and a native plant meadow with active beehives. The stacked stone walls and a bluestone terrace were added in 2005..."

Charming indeed!

The vegetable garden...

The bees! They must be very happy here.

And an agave, who would have thought?

The meadow...

I do love a good umbel.

The lawn is still loved, isn't it? At least this one is a little less irrigated than yesterday's.

Golden!

I we'll close with purple.

Weather Diary, Nov 25: Hi 51, Low 41/ Precip .05"

All material © 2009-2019 by Loree Bohl for danger garden. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited and just plain rude.